ACLU Of Indiana, Indy10 Sue City Of Indianapolis For Use Of Tear Gas, Other Weapons

The ACLU of Indiana and Indy10 Black Lives Matter filed a lawsuit Thursday against the City of Indianapolis for the use of chemical agents on protesters.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, says the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department fired tear gas, pepper balls, and other weapons on protesters during demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice following the deaths of Minneapolis' George Floyd and Indianapolis' Dreasjon Reed.

The suit argues that the use of chemical agents and projectiles for crowd control violates the First Amendment.

“Excessive use of force against protesters chills free speech, and widens the rift of distrust between communities and the police that are sworn to serve them,” says Ken Falk, legal director at the ACLU of Indiana. “Indianapolis should instead listen to demonstrators, build community trust, and transform policing and the criminal legal system.”

This lawsuit joins a number of legal actions the ACLU has been taking around the country in response to the actions of law enforcement during protests.